Local

Los Alamos Golf Course saw not one but two aces last week.
Brett Kniss and Eddie Sanchez both scored holes-in-one at LAGC, with Kniss hitting his on the fourth hole and Sanchez on the No. 8 hole.
For Kniss, it was the third ace of his playing career.
Course professional Donnie Torres, one of the witnesses of Kniss’ ace, said the ball landed about three feet above the pin but spun back down and in the cup.
Also witnessing the shot were Steve Birdsell, Johnny Montoya and Joe Gallegos.
That ace was recorded Thursday. Kniss hit an 8-iron 159 yards.
Meanwhile, Sanchez scored his hole-in-one Sunday. It was the second hole-in-one he’d recorded in back-to-back weeks.
For his shot, Sanchez hit a pitching wedge from the No. 8 tee. from 115 yards out.
Sanchez said he actually saw the ball go into the hole, the first of seven career aces he’d actually seen.
The ace was also witnessed by Barbara Schmitt, Brian Colby, Cliff Fortgang and Larry Rich.

Former New Mexico Lobo forward Cameron Bairstow signed a NBA contract with the Chicago Bulls Monday.
Bairstow was selected by Chicago with the 49th pick of the 2014 NBA Draft last month. The terms of the contract, however were not disclosed.
“We like Cameron’s combination as a player with his size, energy and physicality,” said Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman in a press release. “He is a hard worker who will only get better with time.”
Bairstow finished the 2013-14 season leading the team in his senior year in scoring, averaging 20.4 points per game, along with 7.4 rebounds.
He shot a Mountain West Conference-best 55.6 percent from the field.
Bairstow was a big part of the reason the Lobos went on to win 27 wins last season, as well as the Lobos’ third consecutive MW tournament title.
UNM won 106 games during Bairstow’s career as a Lobo.
The Australian will join a former Lobo teammate in Chicago in Tony Snell. Snell was the Bulls’ first round draft pick in 2013.
With Bairstow and Snell, UNM has had a player selected in back-to-back NBA Drafts for the first time since the mid 1980s.

Valles Caldera National Preserve will host the first PyroClassic cross-country mountain bike race Aug. 3.
All races will start and finish near the Valles Caldera Ranch Headquarters. Divisions for the race include Pro/Cat 1, Intermediate/Cat 2, and Beginners/Cat 3.
Top division racers will travel a total of 30 miles, intermediate racers 18 miles and beginning and Cat 3 racers 10 miles.
The course will go through the valley meadows and head up Rendondo Peak.
The race is being run under a USA Cycling race permit and is part of the New Mexico Off-Road Race Series.

Golf tournament will benefit local chapter of BBBS

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern New Mexico will host its third annual Drive For Matches golf tournament Saturday. The tournament will be at Los Alamos Golf Course.
The tournament, which is a best ball scramble, will start at 11 a.m.
Price for participation is $100 per individual, $400 for teams. The entry fee includes golf cart and post-tournament dinner.
For more information, visit bbbsnorthernnm.org.

Myles Fitzgerald puts on his running shoes during the July 9 Splash and Dash while cheered on by his 2-1/2 old son Ryland and wife Katy. The third installment of the 2014 Splash and Dash series is scheduled for Wednesday night. The event features a swim and a run, lengths vary depending on what course participants choose. Registration for the Splash and Dash is free, but participation is limited. Registrants are accepted on a first-come, first served basis starting at 6:20 p.m. Wednesday.

Mary Snow was the big winner in this week’s Pace Race.
Snow had the top prediction in Tuesday’s race, which was hosted by the Atomic City Roadrunners. She finished with a prediction error of just 8 seconds, which was 5 seconds better than runner-up Ted Romero.
Tuesday’s Pace Race started at the ski lodge at Pajarito Mountain. There were several courses participants could choose from.
On the 1-mile trail course, Bob Weeks finished in a time of 14 minutes, 20 seconds, while Artemia Rojas finished in 12:36 on the 1-mile road course.
Inez Ross was the top finisher on the 2-mile road course with her time of 37:13. On the 2-mile trail course, Melina Burnside was the fastest finisher (21:09).
Romero (23:33) and Roxana Candia (27:21) had the best finishes on the 3-mile course.
The next Pace Race will be Tuesday starting at the picnic grounds on North Mesa. Race time is 6 p.m.
For more information, call 672-1639 or visit the Roadrunners’ website, atomicrunners.com.

The Los Alamos Aquatomics swim club hosted the Nick Nogar Invitational at the Larry R. Walkup Aquatic Center earlier this month. The Aquatomics and the Pajarito Aquatic Club, the two locally based swim teams, along with the Charger Aquatic Club, which is based in Albuquerque but includes several Los Alamos area swimmers, took part.

The Los Alamos County Majors All-Star baseball team is heading to the state tournament this weekend with hopes of advancing to the regional playoffs.
The Los Alamos Majors — comprised of 11- and 12-year-old players — will start state play Saturday when it faces a tough opponent in Clovis. Win or lose, Los Alamos will play Sunday night.
The state tournament is being played in Carlsbad.
To qualify for the state tournament, the Los Alamos All-Stars won the District 1 tournament last week in Santa Fe, and did so in impressive fashion.
Los Alamos outscored its semifinal and final round opponents, Santa Fe Metro and Española, by a combined 54-2. In Saturday’s championship game, Los Alamos earned a 20-0 shutout victory over Española to clinch a berth in state.
All-Star manager Alex Garcia said the nucleus of this team is the same as a team he helped guide to state in 2013.
In preparation for the state tournament, Garcia said his team would mostly be working on fundamentals in order to stay sharp.
From top-to-bottom of the batting order, Los Alamos swung the bat very well in district, while the team’s pitching has also been very solid throughout the postseason.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern New Mexico will host its third annual Drive For Matches golf tournament July 26. The tournament will be at Los Alamos Golf Course.
The tournament, which is a best ball scramble, will start at 11 a.m.
Price for participation is $100 per individual, $400 for teams. The entry fee includes golf cart and post-tournament dinner, as well as a chance to win one of several available prizes.
For more information, contact Dawn Brown at dawn.brown@bbbs-nnm.org or 614-4231.

Y hosts wrestling skills clinic

The Family YMCA of Los Alamos is offering a wrestling skills clinic starting July 28.
The purpose of the course is to help youth participants develop wrestling fundamentals.
The clinic is for boys and girls ages 5-12. Wrestlers will be matched with other wrestlers who have similar abilities. Price for participation is $40. The clinic continues through Aug. 1.
For more information, call the YMCA at 662-3100.
Splash and Dash set for July 23

Runners head down a trail at Pajarito Mountain during Tuesday’s Pace Race. This week’s Pace Race was won by Mary Snow, who missed her finish time by just eight seconds. Check the Los Alamos Monitor later this week for more details on the race.

Los Alamos standout baseball player Jared Mang picked up his second big national recognition of the year last month.
Mang, who pitches and plays infield for the Hilltoppers, was named to the USA Today All-USA Baseball Team for the 2014 season. Mang was the only junior from the 2014 season named to the team.
During the 2014 prep season Mang posted a .605 batting average and drove in 44 runs on offense, while earning an 8-2 pitching record with an ERA of 1.01.
He led Los Alamos to a berth in the Class 4A quarterfinal round. Los Alamos fell in the quarters to the Goddard Rockets.
Earlier this year, Mang was also named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state. He was also named to the second team All-Class 4A.